[Hinomotocho]

Guys I was thinking of picking up an M7...but is the M9 worth the extra $$? How is it improved? Either one will be used from my beloved ZX300. My current fav headphone I own is the 1AM2.

I can't directly answer your question as I don't own the 1AM2 and since buying some overheads my iem budget has been limited to the M7. I tried the M9 last week but can't remember exact details, but there was a noticeable step up from the M7, but as a couple of reviewers have said for the price being 2x the M7 is about 80% of the M9 sound wise.
I am coming from the XBA-Z5 which was the previous flagship (great sound for me but horrid design and fit) and I've been riding on the peace of mind that 'this is the best', and as the M9 and Z1R are beyond my spending cap that the M7 are somehow a step down for me.
I was comparing them yesterday and there are some elements where if I focus I could hear a slightly better sound from my Z5, but then there was other times the M7 presented another part of the track in a way I perceived to be as good or better than my Z5.
What I hope you can take away from my blabbering is: if the M7 is in your budget it could possibly satisfy you, if you think you would always wish you had got the M9 and it will take away from your enjoyment of the M7 and it's not going to break the bank.....

 

[mrtim6]

Love Music I thought the Z5 was the IEM equivalent of the Sony Z7 (although many thought the Z5 superior). So I’m wondering if the Z5 are a tier below the M7? Hopefully someone can answer your question.

From what I have read the Z5 is more of a detailed but ‘fun’ signature and from experience the M7 & M9 are certainly have a reference sounding signature . Even my Z1R headphones are not really reference sounding.

 

[toughnut]

M9 is actually easy to drive with iphone. Plugged it first time into iPhone X with dongle and sound quite good. Low end sound thick and thunderous, soundstage reduced slightly and more intimate. Mid more upfront. High still sparkle. Need to turn up higher volume as expected.

Run The Jewel very enjoyable with this setup.

P.S: Tried Bluetooth output from iPhone Spotify to ZX300 and M9, sound bad. AAC wireless codec compression is obvious. Everything sound flat and lifeless.

 

[chinhp]

I am looking for an alternative for the original Sony 4.4mm balanced cable of my IER-M9. ALO Reference 8 seems to be a good choice. But they don't have a right angle plug version. Any suggestion here will be much appreciated.

On my googling, I saw this one on eBay and it is funny and also frustrating thinking that they sell premium IEM but their cable is so cheap.

 

[audionewbi]

What do you say M9 cable isn’t good? I got a lot cables and I went back to the stock cable.

 

[terrav]

What do you say M9 cable isn’t good? I got a lot cables and I went back to the stock cable.

Same feeling, the M9's stock cable has very good quality. I've tried 100$ and 250$ cable but sometimes i still want to use the stock one. Hopefully my incoming 500$ platinum plated silver/gold cable show the difference

 

[CoryGillmore]

I can't directly answer your question as I don't own the 1AM2 and since buying some overheads my iem budget has been limited to the M7. I tried the M9 last week but can't remember exact details, but there was a noticeable step up from the M7, but as a couple of reviewers have said for the price being 2x the M7 is about 80% of the M9 sound wise.
I am coming from the XBA-Z5 which was the previous flagship (great sound for me but horrid design and fit) and I've been riding on the peace of mind that 'this is the best', and as the M9 and Z1R are beyond my spending cap that the M7 are somehow a step down for me.
I was comparing them yesterday and there are some elements where if I focus I could hear a slightly better sound from my Z5, but then there was other times the M7 presented another part of the track in a way I perceived to be as good or better than my Z5.
What I hope you can take away from my blabbering is: if the M7 is in your budget it could possibly satisfy you, if you think you would always wish you had got the M9 and it will take away from your enjoyment of the M7 and it's not going to break the bank.....

The 1AM2 is definitely more of a "consumer sound signature". Which I suppose is what I like, or at least a v-shaped signature. I'm afraid I'll buy either the M7 or M9 and be less than impressed with the bass. The 1AM2 has great bass to me. Although some would probably find it overpowering. From what I hear they toned the bass down quite a bit from the OG 1A.

 

[CoryGillmore]

Ok so I pulled the trigger on the M9, should be here saturday...any instructions on burn in etc? I bought from Amazon so I can always send them back if I'm not happy with them, like I did with the Z7M2.

 

[jmills8]

Ok so I pulled the trigger on the M9, should be here saturday...any instructions on burn in etc? I bought from Amazon so I can always send them back if I'm not happy with them, like I did with the Z7M2.

Its an all BA driver iem right ? I do believe in burn in for Dynamic Drivers but didnt think BAs needed any. Plus I burn in by just using it not running music through it for 100 hrs.

 

[CoryGillmore]

Here's my take on the IER-M9s.


Background

I don’t write reviews much but I hang around Head-Fi sometimes. I pulled the trigger on the M9s a few weeks ago and they have really inspired me to write a review because these IEMs are really quite special. My knowledge of audio terminology is pretty basic; I’m not too comfortable with using some of the descriptors familiar to many on these forums (as I’m not sure I’ll be using them correctly or in the right context) so sound review wise it’ll be a bit different than a normal review, it’s more notes on my experience to date, plus it’s a bit heavier on real usage scenarios.

I come from someone who owned quite a few IEMs in the past usually all in the mid-range and test-drove quite a few higher range ones incl. Sony Ex1000, multi-BA Westones and UEs, never really liked them, either too sibilant or just plain tiring to listen to. Lately I owned the Sony XBA-N3 (which I annoyingly lost at the airport) and recently I’ve been using the iBasso IT01. I play these through my Sony ZX300 and sometimes through an original dragonfly black connected to a Samsung S8 phone and I also have a Beyerdynamic T1 at my desk through my Sound Blaster ZXR on my PC. My Beyer T1s are clearly on another level but it’s not exactly a correct comparison as they are open ended headphones. I also have a pair of Quad floor standing speakers in the Living Room. I won’t be comparing them directly all the time but these are all context to my music experience.

I was fairly pleased with my Sony N3s but there was way too much bass echo that it would overwhelm some male vocals and mid-range instruments on some pop tracks. They gave a kind of boominess to everything I play, much like the JVC FX range of wooden IEMs which I also used to own (and lost, at the airport). The IT01 were really quite a surprise, they were quite an upgrade on everything I ever owned in the past, and they sounded as good as the N3s I had without the boomy echo yet still had sufficient bass.

I listen to all kinds of music, rock, classical, pop, dnb, dance music, jazz, acoustics. I like my base but I also like texture, detail and a wide feel to the music and a separation to the different instruments that are being played. I do not like the original Dragonfly that I plug into my phone sometimes and generally stuff with an ESS Sabre DAC; they make very detailed music but it sounds flat with no-timbrey sibilance, it’s like everything is presented in front of you which is nice, but there’s no sound coming at me from any other direction. I generally like the Sony house sound of having sound in my head and all around with a slight V-shape.


Sound

They sound absolutely sublime, they have that perfect tonal balance to the music, ever so slightly v-shaped. It’s also got that high-end mid-to-high range zing to it, where certain synths or guitars are played on a track and you realise after hearing the M9s that it’s textured rather than just a single note that you thought it was in the past. I get that with my Beyer T1s also, and I know comparing it with headphones is apples vs oranges, but it’s the only time I’ve heard this effect before in an IEM.

The detail is remarkable and the magic is it doesn’t sound sibilant at all. It’s as if Sony tried to make a Beyer earphone but gave it the “Sony depth”. I’ve been hearing stuff in tracks that I haven’t heard before (cliched I know) but even when compared with my T1s. The isolation of the IEMs obviously helps, but it’s also the presentation of where the instruments are, it’s like they kind of have a separate little tweeter just for that particular instrument (given the amount of BAs in this device, it probably has..). I can hear the harmonics (intentional or otherwise) and plucking of guitars that again I’ve never heard before on some vocal/instrumental heavy tracks. I think it also has something to do with timing, it’s like I hear the flailing strum of a final flick of a cymbal or the click of a tongue as a word falls off that I never heard before because previous devices I’ve heard weren’t quick enough to pick it up.

Bass is strong, very deep, but it does not have that boomy bass echo that my N3s had. When the instruments/vocals kick in on a bass heavy track they do not sound recessed or covered as some earphones/headphones tend to present. There were certain bits in tracks, especially in EDM, between mid-bass and low-mid-range, that with past earphones would be muddy sounding which I just put down to poor recordings --nope they actually have detail there(!) that just weren’t translated properly. Again, it seems like a timing thing, I think some of the changes in bass attack are just so fast that some earphones (especially dynamic drivers?) just can’t pick it up. The best part about the bass: I can really crank the volume, the bass will go with it but there is zero loss in detail, I just get more detailed bass and it just scales, whereas I do that with a dynamic driver and at some point, it all just begins to sound rumbly.

Do you remember when you first got your first Discman, then you went and played your favourite song back on the cassette player and thought -wow, that sounded cack? Well I got that exact feeling listening back to some sub-300kbps MP3s. I know most of you can tell the difference but the difference gap is hugely magnified with the IER-M9, it felt the jump was as big as the Walkman --> CD-player in difference for me; especially the bass which was clearly very, very muddy on the MP3s. I can blind test this with the M9s and tell you whether that was a low bit rate MP3, high bit rate MP3 or a FLAC. Basically, anything sub 300kbps sounds like a cassette recording, high bit rate MP3s just sound thin but more remarkably though, 96-24 FLACs felt clearly thicker and had more “spatial separation” between instruments and voices than they do with a normal FLAC. This is something that normally I cannot tell much difference from on my normal IEMs or on my T1. Basically, these IEMs are really going to show up your MP3s or badly mastered tracks.

They require quite a bit of power, I’m usually on 76 volume (no gain) on my ZX300, whereas these need mid-90s for the same volume. I can also pick up very minor electronic disturbance from my PC where I couldn’t do before from my T1 headphones.


Ergonomics

The cable is very comfortable, it has no microphonics unlike the stock XBA-N3 cable. It’s got a 2 layer-protection thing going on; plastic on the outside and another inner-fabric layer, the combination somehow keeps it from tying itself in knots -this is really useful. The plastic is not overly thick either (looking at you Sony Kimber cable). The earhooks are perfect, there’s some microphonics if you rub the earhooks hard enough but nothing that’s going to affect everyday use, I imagine I can go running in these but I haven’t yet tried.

The box comes with 2 full sets of hybrid silicone rubber and triple comfort earbuds. The triple comforts don’t work well for me whereas the hybrid silicone ones are perfect. They’re not your standard silicone buds, these are different to the Sony XBA-N3 ones I had; these are thicker and they don’t get slippery after extended contact with your ear canal (grease). The seal is perfect, it totally isolates noise from the inside and out [had some DnB played right next to my wife, she couldn’t hear a thing (or chose not to?)]. You might want to be careful as well when you take them out because the seal is so good it always gives me a “suction effect” when I take them off.

Here’s the kicker: you know the little notch at the bottom where it labels the L and R. Well that’s not for aesthetic reasons, you use it to leverage the earphone in to your lower ear canal (as your ears are angled upwards ever so slightly) to get that seal. At least I’m using them for that purpose, and at first, I was hesitant to do so, fearing it might snap off but they’re completely solid. It’s such a quality of life plus that I don’t ever want to use another IEM without the notch. I really liked my N3s because it was fairly easy to push into my ears as it was designed to be slim laterally (although it still took some wiggling), whilst with my IT01’s I literally had to spend half a minute to push both of them in to get that good seal before I can start playing music. The M9s are just on another level in terms of ease-of-use: I just push the notch and I get a good seal, no more faffing around.

It’s also the combination of being built like a tank whilst being also fairly light and easy to insert that it really ticks one of my boxes for that “end-game-IEM”. Another box ticked is the understated look, no-bling or other BS so I can actually walk around the office and not have people think I’ve had a mid-life crisis or are able to look right through into the BA drivers and my ear canal (srsly What is with the design these days?).


Conclusion

In all, for me, I’ve been subconsciously going after *that* earphone, I’ve been chasing it no doubt but I was never willing to spend the silly money on some CIEMs on offer. This was an expensive purchase no doubt and although I currently own nothing of a similar price-point in the IEM space that I can compare directly with, I can assure people that are looking to jump up from the mid-range that it is indeed worth it for this set of earphones, they sound absolutely superb and technically the best thing I’ve heard. If you were to look for an alternative in the price-range, the points on ease-of-use (which I wouldn’t have factored in before making the purchase, but in hindsight I would, make these essential points knowing the quality-of-life differences that it would bring) would (at least for me) probably push this IEM well over the line vs the competition.

THank you for this so much. Reading this made me glad I have this IEM on the way. Such a great review. On a side note, let me know the next time you're at the airport, I intend to just pay a little visit to all the little spots in the airport you visit and check for sweet gear laying about.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Not ever using that IEM I don't know about the burn-in. Every IEM is different, though there is no harm in simply burning them in for 40 hours right off. Even with just BAs, there has been improvement in my case with other full BA IEMs.

 

[Deezel177]

I managed to audition the IER-Z1R at Wisma Atria's Sony Store recently. My apologies for the horrid phone photo.

​

Here are my thoughts:

The Z1R has a balanced, likeable signature that strives because of its spatial performance. The stage it posits is large with tons of headroom. But, that’s also the result of a withdrawn lower-midrange. As a result, instruments consistently come across sounding crisp and compact; more transient-y and less harmonic. Thankfully, they retain integrity from a 1-2kHz rise, but the dip does leave timbral transparency rather lacklustre. Every track I listen to comes across clean and clear, but almost stubbornly so. The Z1R definitely colours tracks to sound like that. But, I think this is a complaint that’ll resonate more with engineers rather than audiophiles. If you enjoy listening to clean, crisp-sounding signatures, you'll definitely enjoy this colouration.

The bass is pretty even-handed against the rest of the FR, but there’s certainly a decay that emphasises its presence. It’s a rounded bass that sacrifices a touch of definition for that decay, but remains relatively compact and tight nonetheless - a solid sphere with blurred lines, rather than a sloppy glob, perhaps. Physically, mid-bass impact is convincingly realistic. Its meaty hits treat kick drums particularly well; the lower thud a mere hair louder than the thwack. But, its sub-bass isn’t the most skull-rattling I’ve heard. You can hear potential for potent rumble, but I think the Sony engineers have decided to rein it in for the stage's sake - a decision I can very much respect.

The IEM also has a distinct 3kHz dip, which neutralises vocals in both projection and placement. Singers sound neither forwardly placed, nor particularly forceful in delivery. This benefits perceived depth and headroom excellently. But at the same time, because of the Z1R’s punchy mid-bass, those who prefer vocal-forward signatures may find the lead melody in jeopardy of being overshadowed by the bass. This never occurs, thankfully, but it may be too close for comfort to some. That crowd would probably prefer either a more vibrant upper-midrange or lesser mid-bass. Regardless, instruments are pretty evenly sized; neither overtly compact and lean, nor large and lively. Because of this and the Z1R’s stellar stage, layering and separation are both effortlessly executed. Again, tonal transparency may be so-so, but detail never is.

The Z1R’s treble comes across clean and crisp; neutral in tone. I admire their decision to add a 9-10kHz dip. This results in a more refined, easygoing, yet still articulate treble with a more natural tone. All in all, the Z1R is a great spatial performer and a decent tonal one. I’d love to compare it against the FAudio Major in the future, because the two seem to be gunning for a similar audience. For the price (S$2499), I have no complaints, but I'm not fully convinced either. I'd expect one or two more wow moments to truly sell it for my tastes. Though, fans of signatures like the Campfire Audio Solaris will find much to love in the Z1R.

 

[davidmolliere]

I managed to audition the IER-Z1R at Wisma Atria's Sony Store recently.

Oh my great impressions and thanks been waiting for your take on them!
(And now, eager for your take on the Solaris ;P)

 

[Focux]

I managed to audition the IER-Z1R at Wisma Atria's Sony Store recently. My apologies for the horrid phone photo.

​

Here are my thoughts:

The Z1R has a balanced, likeable signature that strives because of its spatial performance. The stage it posits is large with tons of headroom. But, that’s also the result of a withdrawn lower-midrange. As a result, instruments consistently come across sounding crisp and compact; more transient-y and less harmonic. Thankfully, they retain integrity from a 1-2kHz rise, but the dip does leave timbral transparency rather lacklustre. Every track I listen to comes across clean and clear, but almost stubbornly so. The Z1R definitely colours tracks to sound like that. But, I think this is a complaint that’ll resonate more with engineers rather than audiophiles. If you enjoy listening to clean, crisp-sounding signatures, you'll definitely enjoy this colouration.

The bass is pretty even-handed against the rest of the FR, but there’s certainly a decay that emphasises its presence. It’s a rounded bass that sacrifices a touch of definition for that decay, but remains relatively compact and tight nonetheless - a solid sphere with blurred lines, rather than a sloppy glob, perhaps. Physically, mid-bass impact is convincingly realistic. Its meaty hits treat kick drums particularly well; the lower thud a mere hair louder than the thwack. But, its sub-bass isn’t the most skull-rattling I’ve heard. You can hear potential for potent rumble, but I think the Sony engineers have decided to rein it in for the stage's sake - a decision I can very much respect.

The IEM also has a distinct 3kHz dip, which neutralises vocals in both projection and placement. Singers sound neither forwardly placed, nor particularly forceful in delivery. This benefits perceived depth and headroom excellently. But at the same time, because of the Z1R’s punchy mid-bass, those who prefer vocal-forward signatures may find the lead melody in jeopardy of being overshadowed by the bass. This never occurs, thankfully, but it may be too close for comfort to some. That crowd would probably prefer either a more vibrant upper-midrange or lesser mid-bass. Regardless, instruments are pretty evenly sized; neither overtly compact and lean, nor large and lively. Because of this and the Z1R’s stellar stage, layering and separation are both effortlessly executed. Again, tonal transparency may be so-so, but detail never is.

The Z1R’s treble comes across clean and crisp; neutral in tone. I admire their decision to add a 9-10kHz dip. This results in a more refined, easygoing, yet still articulate treble with a more natural tone. All in all, the Z1R is a great spatial performer and a decent tonal one. I’d love to compare it against the FAudio Major in the future, because the two seem to be gunning for a similar audience. For the price (S$2499), I have no complaints, but I'm not fully convinced either. I'd expect one or two more wow moments to truly sell it for my tastes. Though, fans of signatures like the Campfire Audio Solaris will find much to love in the Z1R.

SGD2.5K is competing directly with JVC’s FW10000

 

[jmills8]

I managed to audition the IER-Z1R at Wisma Atria's Sony Store recently. My apologies for the horrid phone photo.

​

Here are my thoughts:

The Z1R has a balanced, likeable signature that strives because of its spatial performance. The stage it posits is large with tons of headroom. But, that’s also the result of a withdrawn lower-midrange. As a result, instruments consistently come across sounding crisp and compact; more transient-y and less harmonic. Thankfully, they retain integrity from a 1-2kHz rise, but the dip does leave timbral transparency rather lacklustre. Every track I listen to comes across clean and clear, but almost stubbornly so. The Z1R definitely colours tracks to sound like that. But, I think this is a complaint that’ll resonate more with engineers rather than audiophiles. If you enjoy listening to clean, crisp-sounding signatures, you'll definitely enjoy this colouration.

The bass is pretty even-handed against the rest of the FR, but there’s certainly a decay that emphasises its presence. It’s a rounded bass that sacrifices a touch of definition for that decay, but remains relatively compact and tight nonetheless - a solid sphere with blurred lines, rather than a sloppy glob, perhaps. Physically, mid-bass impact is convincingly realistic. Its meaty hits treat kick drums particularly well; the lower thud a mere hair louder than the thwack. But, its sub-bass isn’t the most skull-rattling I’ve heard. You can hear potential for potent rumble, but I think the Sony engineers have decided to rein it in for the stage's sake - a decision I can very much respect.

The IEM also has a distinct 3kHz dip, which neutralises vocals in both projection and placement. Singers sound neither forwardly placed, nor particularly forceful in delivery. This benefits perceived depth and headroom excellently. But at the same time, because of the Z1R’s punchy mid-bass, those who prefer vocal-forward signatures may find the lead melody in jeopardy of being overshadowed by the bass. This never occurs, thankfully, but it may be too close for comfort to some. That crowd would probably prefer either a more vibrant upper-midrange or lesser mid-bass. Regardless, instruments are pretty evenly sized; neither overtly compact and lean, nor large and lively. Because of this and the Z1R’s stellar stage, layering and separation are both effortlessly executed. Again, tonal transparency may be so-so, but detail never is.

The Z1R’s treble comes across clean and crisp; neutral in tone. I admire their decision to add a 9-10kHz dip. This results in a more refined, easygoing, yet still articulate treble with a more natural tone. All in all, the Z1R is a great spatial performer and a decent tonal one. I’d love to compare it against the FAudio Major in the future, because the two seem to be gunning for a similar audience. For the price (S$2499), I have no complaints, but I'm not fully convinced either. I'd expect one or two more wow moments to truly sell it for my tastes. Though, fans of signatures like the Campfire Audio Solaris will find much to love in the Z1R.

So not enough wow to cause you to buy it ?